Roister Doister

Ralph Roister Doister courts Dame Christian Custance, a widow already promised to Gawyn Goodluck. Mathew Merygreeke goads Ralph onward, then comforts his wounded pride with flattery when Custance refuses them both. The verse dialogue gives Custance room to mock the would-be husband, while Ralph tries to distance himself from the wording of a letter he admits writing in his own hand. Around these figures stand friends, servants, a nurse, and two maidens, with the action assigned a span of about two days.

The letter supplies a particularly pointed comic scene: read with the wrong punctuation, its affectionate intentions become promises of sadness and unkindness. The introduction connects this passage to Thomas Wilson's Rule of Reason of 1553, which quoted it as an example of writing that could carry contrary meanings. Edward Arber's 1869 edition places the play's composition and probable performance before 1553. These editorial details sit alongside a comedy driven by boastfulness, encouragement, and Custance's sharp replies.